How Conservative Columnist George Will Lies With Statistics

Here’s an absolutely classic case of lying with statistics, as George Will abuses his position as a columnist for the Washington Post to shamelessly mislead his readers and disseminate deceptive climate change denial propaganda.

Will’s latest column makes a claim that’s true in a literal sense, but when examined more closely is nothing less than journalistic malpractice.

[President Obama] says that “the threat of climate change” is apparent in “raging fires,” “crippling drought” and “more powerful storms.” Are fires raging now more than ever? (There were a third fewer U.S. wildfires in 2012 than in 2006.)

Does it seem odd that George Will cherry-picked an arbitrary year (2006) to compare to last year?

There’s a reason for Will’s seemingly arbitrary choice, of course; when you look at the data from the National Interagency Fire Center over a longer timeframe, a very different picture emerges. David Appell graphed the data back to 1960, exposing the deception behind this denier’s claim:

Click to enlarge

As you can see, the trend is obvious: a severe increase in acreage burned over the last 20 years, and it’s accelerating dramatically. And it’s also obvious why George Will picked 2006 for his misleading comparison.

In the past, the Washington Post has refused to hold Will accountable for distortions just as egregious as this one, so I wouldn’t hold out hope for a correction or retraction.

[Obamacare] and other regulatory burdens, combined with the subsidization of not working (47.5 million people receiving food stamps, 8.6 million receiving disability payments, unemployment benefits extended from 26 weeks to 73 weeks — so far), partially explain this fact provided by Richard Vedder of the American Enterprise Institute: “If today the country had the same proportion of persons of working age employed as it did in 2000, the U.S. would have almost 14 million more people contributing to the economy.” Fourteen million is more than the combined workforces of 18 states.

George also forgets that people who receive “subsidization” (disability payments and unemployment benefits) do contribute to the economy by spending almost all they’re receiving.

WaPo needs to spin off their pundit columnists to a separate venue. I find myself thinking twice about clicking WaPo links with intriguing titles because all too often it’s just a stupid Jenifer Rubin article.

The size of the fires has increased as well. If you use the selector to find years where the average fire size was greater than 100 acres (indicating severity of fires), then you’ll see that all of those fires have happened since 2004 and none before.

The number of fires has generally declined, but severity has increased. Policy may be affecting those figures, but current fire policy is to suppress fires started by arson/manmade sources and to let naturally occurring fires burn unless they’re going to affect manmade structures/lives. Severe weather (like drought now seen through much of the country’s middle section) makes the likelihood of fire that much greater.

Two weeks ago today, a line was crossed. Two weeks ago today, Aaron Swartz was killed. Killed because he faced an impossible choice. Killed because he was forced into playing a game he could not win — a twisted and distorted perversion of justice — a game where the only winning move was not to play.

Some in the comments are worried that Bradley Manning may suffer the same fate

His death shocked me. I had actually been expecting to hear Bradley Manning had suicided.

Some in the comments are worried that Bradley Manning may suffer the same fate

Well, to be fair ’ Dartagnan’ posted that to mend fences. Other people who post on the Kos pointed out that he’d named himself after a Musketeer and was thus promoting gun violence. If he hadn’t written this loony story they would have taken away his Liberal Card.

Aaron Swartz did a lot of great things that helped make the Internet a better place - I have much more sympathy for him than Bradley Manning. I’ve used tools created by Aaron Swartz at LGF. Every time you read an RSS feed you’re using something he helped create.

He was ridiculously smart, and from all accounts a really decent guy, and he was driven to suicide by a vindictive politically-motivated prosecutor. What happened to him is a damned shame.

Normally I don’t agree with such methodoligy - but Anonymous has touched my sense of justice often this past year. Simply put - I believe they are right.

I’ve been extremely ambivalent about them after a picture of someone I was friendly with in school had his corpse posted freely on the chans. Illegally obtained from the coroner. No charges were ever pressed.

I’ve been extremely ambivalent about them after a picture of someone I was friendly with in school had his corpse posted freely on the chans. Illegally obtained from the coroner. No charges were ever pressed.

These guys don’t do morality.

And their attempt to embarrass the government won’t do what they think it will. They’ll hurt some people, but they’ll all be low and mid-level people. Both parties will close ranks and the higher ups won’t be touched.

And their attempt to embarrass the government won’t do what they think it will. They’ll hurt some people, but they’ll all be low and mid-level people. Both parties will close ranks and the higher ups won’t be touched.

If Anonymous actually manages to effectively expose any big fish at all, I’ll be very surprised.

If they were to expose the deep network of corruption that undoubtedly exists between Wall Street and DC (both parties), I’d even approve of that.

I’ve been extremely ambivalent about them after a picture of someone I was friendly with in school had his corpse posted freely on the chans. Illegally obtained from the coroner. No charges were ever pressed.

These guys don’t do morality.

I think the “morality” of Anon just doesn’t translate into a coherent philosophy. Occasional good deeds don’t make a viable political movement. Anon appeals to the fringe lefties for the same reason as Ron Paul and 9-11 truthers. It’s an impulse that people would be wise to avoid.

I’ve been extremely ambivalent about them after a picture of someone I was friendly with in school had his corpse posted freely on the chans. Illegally obtained from the coroner. No charges were ever pressed.

These guys don’t do morality.

That sucks about your friend. My big problem with Anonymous is that it’s a real “who watches the watchmen” situation. I’m not real comfortable with a group that might destroy your digital life because you may not agree with them on a subject.

For every protest of Scientology, there’s an attack on a 13 year old girl, just for the lulz. I’m not a fan of mob justice, whether on the net or in meat space.

Hey Dark OT question but it is a slow thread, Scott Walker recently showed some interest in breaking up his states electoral college vote distributing system, do you as LGF’s sanest republican have any comments?

That sucks about your friend. My big problem with Anonymous is that it’s a real “who watches the watchmen” situation. I’m not real comfortable with a with a group that might destroy your digital life because you may not agree with them on a subject.

For every protest of Scientology, there’s an attack on a 13 year old girl, NSF for the lulz. I’m not a fan of mob justice, whether on the net or in meat space.

Yeah, this.

Someone at kos gets it:

people deciding with consequence what should be private and what shouldn’t be concerns me greatly.

this is the issue i have with manning - a case that is far different from aaron schwartz. schwartz downloaded what was available to be read - manning just dumped without consideration of whether there would be real damage done.

anonymous seeks “vengeance”, imho, and that is a serious concern. retaliation and revenge often don’t care what collateral damage is done.

releasing justice dept material jeopardizes more than the few people it might embarrass - it compromises the integrity of the system.

not everything should be totally “open”, as some seem to believe. how does “everybody has a right to know everything” differ from the government intrusion into our privacy?

…

breaking the law “anonymously” doesn’t get the laws changed that are wrong - it just divides people.

I can’t add a whole lot to that- but if justice has to be delivered extrajudiciously, then it isn’t operating by the rule of law- at least not in the way we understand it.

Hey Dark OT question but it is a slow thread, Scott Walker recently showed some interest in breaking up his states electoral college vote distributing system, do you as LGF’s sanest republican have any comments?

That sucks about your friend. My big problem with Anonymous is that it’s a real “who watches the watchmen” situation. I’m not real comfortable with a with a group that might destroy your digital life because you may not agree with them on a subject.

For every protest of Scientology, there’s an attack on a 13 year old girl, NSF for the lulz. I’m not a fan of mob justice, whether on the net or in meat space.

They are essentially amoral. it’s not so much the attack on a 13 year old girl that bothers me but the potential to shut down power grids, industrial infrastructure sabotage, hacking banks or financial institutions, leaking military secrets, etc. They have a lot of technological know how with the mentality of children. They are potentially very dangerous. A proverbial jet powered monkey navigated ICBM.

I oppose it, because of my anti-gerrymandering views. Further rewarding gerrymandering is a very bad idea, IMO.

Thank you.

My respect for you would have plunged through the basement into.subbwsement (also known as swimming pool and workout gym) levels if you had any tuck with this plan to try and gerrymander presidential elections.

It is as hoplessly rotten as if democrats tried to cut out a piece of Maryland and make it a part of Virginia….

I suspect the WaPo, as a company, has pretty much accepted its fate of having to be a carrier for pretty much anything that can sell. Long gone are the days of newspaper owners and editors who had their goals and values which they imposed on their enterprise. In the old days that was sometimes bad - yellow journalism for sure. But there were always those, even in WaPo’s history, who acted as if journalism was the most important thing a paper could do, and that journalism first and foremost meant reporting what best could be determined as true.

The owner likes to claim the heritage of his ancestors, but in the age of the internet the WaPo has become like the rest - doing whatever it takes to get web hits and advertising dollars.

The use of two cherry picked points in an inherently noisy system allows the deceiver(s) to build a straw structure without being obvious. Scientists have never said that temps, or the side-effects of specific temps, have to act in an upwardly ratcheting manner, yet that can be implied by comparing a recent low point with a previous high point. It also makes the noise in the system replace the trend as the most important factor in people’s minds. It in fact imposes a conflation of trend and noise.

My respect for you would have plunged through the basement into.subbwsement (also known as swimming pool and workout gym) levels if you had any tuck with this plan to try and gerrymander presidential elections.

It is as hoplessly rotten as if democrats tried to cut out a piece of Maryland and make it a part of Virginia….

Were such a plan put into place in a state where the congressional districts were not gerrymandered, it would have a good number of things to recommend it. Emplaced alongside gerrymandering, its just another form of screwjob.

Were such a plan put into place in a state where the congressional districts were not gerrymandered, it would have a good number of things to recommend it. Emplaced alongside gerrymandering, its just another form of screwjob.

Even without gerrymandered congressional districts, it would still suck — all the sparsely populated states (which are already disproportionately represented in the electoral college) would still be winner take all, and the big states with big cities would have their bloc votes diminished. If Cali went 33-22, or NY 19-10, then the Dakotas/Wyoming/Alaska would outweigh either of them even with such drastically smaller populations.

Even without gerrymandered congressional districts, it would still suck — all the sparsely populated states (which are already disproportionately represented in the electoral college) would still be winner take all, and the big states with big cities would have their bloc votes diminished. If Cali went 33-22, or NY 19-10, then the Dakotas/Wyoming/Alaska would outweigh either of them even with such drastically smaller populations.

Which wouldn’t be so bad. It would also force presidential candidates to campaign in more states than just 10-12 ‘battlegrounds’. That alone is a major point in its favor.

Which wouldn’t be so bad. It would also force presidential candidates to campaign in more states than just 10-12 ‘battlegrounds’. That alone is a major point in its favor.

If you want to do that, lets just do away with the EC all together, that has the added benefit of making it flat out impossible to gerrymander presidential elections while still allowing every vote to count instead of a fee previous swing voters in a few precious states?

What if there’s there’s a blue dog or something who has an axe to grind against his party’s candidate? Or a Democrat in a majority Republican district?

Presidential elections are bad enough, but they’d be even more insane if the candidates have to compete across 200+ congressional districts and demand complete party line discipline across each one of them.

Those 10-12 battlegrounds are the purplest states, and they’re not eternal — every few cycles there’s a shift. California used to be a major battleground (until Gov Pete Wilson turned it solidly blue with his aggressively anti-Hispanic agenda), NY at one time (until the “real America” crusaders decided that only rural voters matter) — maybe if R’s gave a damn about cities again they could purple up some of the densely populated places.

As I’ve already stated, the rural states are already disproportionately weighted, as the country’s population move more and more into the cities, it would be a travesty to exponentially increase their weight. (unless you want all the states to go proportional — I’m sure liberals get at least 1/3 of the vote in each of those 3-EV states.)

Those 10-12 battlegrounds are the purplest states, and they’re not eternal — every few cycles there’s a shift. California used to be a major battleground (until Gov Pete Wilson turned it solidly blue with his aggressively anti-Hispanic agenda), NY at one time (until the “real America” crusaders decided that only rural voters matter) — maybe if R’s gave a damn about cities again they could purple up some of the densely populated places.

As I’ve already stated, the rural states are already disproportionately weighted, as the country’s population move more and more into the cities, it would be a travesty to exponentially increase their weight. (unless you want all the states to go proportional — I’m sure liberals get at least 1/3 of the vote in each of those 3-EV states.)

We would also get at least ten to Texas’ 34.

Like I said, I am fine with doing current system or national public vote, but ev based on districts seems like a system with way too many opportunities to exploits.

Which wouldn’t be so bad. It would also force presidential candidates to campaign in more states than just 10-12 ‘battlegrounds’. That alone is a major point in its favor.

Actually DF now that I think about it allow me to explain why district based Eectoral vote allocation is unfair even without direct gerrymandering Democrats tend to win urban areas, republicans tend to win rural areas, as America is not a warhammer 40k forgeworld it is made up of more rural areas than urban ones. Those urban ones however have a great many more democrats in them the rural areas have total people, because you can pack a lot of people shoulder to shoulder in an urban environment. This difference is telling when you do Electoral vites based on state or look at the entire popular vote, but not so much if you were to do it by district.

There is no “fair ” way to give out electoral votes based on district, even without deliberate gerrymandering, the end result would still favor republicans more than democrats.

Actually DF now that I think about it allow me to explain why district based Eectoral vote allocation is unfair even it’s out direct jerrymwndering. Democrats tend to win urban areas, republicans tend to win rural areas, as America is not a warhammer 40k forgeworld it is made up of more rural areas than urban ones. Those urban ones however have a great many more democrats in them transistors rural areas have total people, because you can pack a lot of people Viking shoulder to shoulder in an urban environment. This difference is telling when you do Electoral vites based on state or look at the entire popular vote, but not so much if you were to do it by district.

There is no “fair ” way to give out electoral votes bad on district, even without deliberate gerrymandering the end result would still favor republicans more than democrats.

Two weeks ago today, a line was crossed. Two weeks ago today, Aaron Swartz was killed. Killed because he faced an impossible choice. Killed because he was forced into playing a game he could not win — a twisted and distorted perversion of justice — a game where the only winning move was not to play.

Some in the comments are worried that Bradley Manning may suffer the same fate

For serious, Trout. I can’t believe how blatantly dishonest you are being here with what you wrote. You are outright lying about what the poster on DailyKos wrote. I had thought that, despite all your many flaws, you were better than that and had more respect for the readers of this blog.

The “Two weeks ago today” paragraph was written by Anonymous, and the Dkos poster was simply reporting it, in a properly marked blockquote. Dkos is no more suggesting that Schwarz was killed by Obama than you were by quoting the same paragraph.

I thought you had at least a little integrity, but this is just outright lying.

Actually DF now that I think about it allow me to explain why district based Eectoral vote allocation is unfair even without direct gerrymandering Democrats tend to win urban areas, republicans tend to win rural areas, as America is not a warhammer 40k forgeworld it is made up of more rural areas than urban ones. Those urban ones however have a great many more democrats in them the rural areas have total people, because you can pack a lot of people shoulder to shoulder in an urban environment. This difference is telling when you do Electoral vites based on state or look at the entire popular vote, but not so much if you were to do it by district.

There is no “fair ” way to give out electoral votes based on district, even without deliberate gerrymandering, the end result would still favor republicans more than democrats.

Thank you for the revision. Given the current electoral advantage the Dems have, I’d not mind cutting it down in that fashion, as long the districts were drawn fairly. Congressional districts within do have to be roughly even in terms of their population.

Thank you for the revision. Given the current electoral advantage the Dems have, I’d not mind cutting it down in that fashion, as long the districts were drawn fairly. Congressional districts within do have to be roughly even in terms of their population.

New York and California, for starters. But I’m going to step away for a bit. I might be back tonight, but I also might not.

Republicans have Texas (at least for now) rest of the south minus Flordia.

Democrats having more people int he most populous states is not an “advantage” it is naturally occurring result of the democratic parties appeal to urban voters who tend to be more aware of how many important services the government can provide such as public transportation which is how I have gotten to and from work for the last two years running.

Stick with the system as it is or drop the electoral college entirely entirely anything else is just going to give the republicans an unfair advantage and making it easier for someone to win the popular vote while loosing the electoral college is not going to be good for the country.

The oil boom taking place across the northern Great Plains may soon make its way to the waters of the Great Lakes.

Petroleum refiner Calumet Specialty Products Partners is exploring whether to build a crude oil loading dock on Lake Superior, near its Superior, Wis., refinery, to ship crude oil on the Great Lakes and through connecting waterways, the company said Friday.

I’ll step back in to note that any such dock will need to be kept under a tight regulatory eye. I’m not fond of the thought of seeing an oil slick on Lake Michigan (Chicago is the transhipment point between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi).

A Tennessee state senator has come up with what I believe is a first: Republican State Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville proposes to cut welfare benefits to parents whose children don’t make “satisfactory academic progress” in school.

Campfield believes that his bill would compel parents to work harder to ensure their kids excel in school. As you might imagine, his Senate Bill 1312 is triggering a lot of comment.

Republicans have Texas (at least for now) rest of the south minus Flordia.

Democrats having more people int he most populous states is not an “advantage” it is naturally occurring result of the democratic parties appeal to urban voters who tend to be more aware of how many important services the government can provide such as public transportation which is how I have gotten to and from work for the last two years running.

Stick with the system as it is or drop the electoral college entirely entirely anything else is just going to give the republicans an unfair advantage and making it easier for someone to win the popular vote while loosing the electoral college is not going to be good for the country.

Oh Jesus, Dark is right. The EC currently does give Democrats an advantage, it produced a 61 percent win from a 51 percent popular vote, and it’s only going to get more lopsided as states like Texas and Arizona alter demographically. Just because something is naturally occurring doesn’t mean it’s not an advantage or that it doesn’t have every potential of handing the Dems a victory even if they lose the popular vote in the future.

What the GOP is proposing is fundamentally hypocritical and unprincipled, but that’s not really an excuse for denying the fundamental structural bias that currently exists in the EC and only looks likely to grow greater. We really should move to a popular vote, that would be the most democratic solution.

……he stated “most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community – it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men. It was an airline pilot, if I recall…. My understanding is that it is virtually – not completely, but virtually – impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex…very rarely [transmitted].”[28][29] He later quoted the odds of heterosexual vaginal transmission at 1 in 5 million.

Funny to see posts about that slime from TN. At another site I saw reference to this:
[Link: www.wbir.com…]

A downtown Knoxville restaurant owner says she was taking a stand for the gay community when she asked State Senator Stacey Campfield to leave her restaurant.

Campfield is under fire for comments he made last week on a Sirius XM radio program. On the Michelangelo Signorile Show, the Knoxville senator said that the HIV epidemic came from a single gay airline employee having sexual relations with a monkey and that it is “virtually impossible” for AIDS to be transmitted during heterosexual sex. Experts say both of those claims are false.

On Sunday, Campfield was asked to leave the Bistro at the Bijou restaurant on Gay Street.

Expanding in a telephone interview on comments made in his blog posts from the convention, the Knoxville lawmaker on Wednesday said the Black Caucus is a “segregationist organization” that should be ignored, just as Sen. Jim Summerville, R-Dickson, suggested in a controversial email.

That email, sent to Rep. Barbara Cooper, D-Memphis, with a request that she forward it to other members of the Black Caucus, said: “I don’t give a rat’s ass what the Black Caucus thinks.” He was responding to a Black Caucus comments on a Senate subcommittee report.

Miles Davis
George Duke
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Jack Bruce
New York Jazz Quartet
Jazz Is Dead
Bobby and the Midnites
Mark-Almond

Jazz is Dead once featured T Lavitz who used to play keyboards for the Dixie Dregs/Dregs. Taught a class at Berklee School of Music. He passed away in 2010. Just found that out last night. Saw the Dregs 5 times in my life. Was a fun time.

Jumping into the EC debate. One of the biggest selling points of the EC is that it gives a definitive winner. Yes, the winner typically gets an outsized share of the EC versus their popular vote. That’s actually a good thing. (Do you think Reagan should have gotten 525 EVs? Or HW Bush win 426? Does that mean the Republicans have an inherent EC advantage?) Nope. Neither does Obama winning 332.

Can you imagine a razor thin popular election and no EC? It would make 2000 look like a walk in the park.

The truth is, Despite the slight advantage given to small states with the Electoral College, I’d rather take that over a direct election.

Jumping into the EC debate. One of the biggest selling points of the EC is that it gives a definitive winner. Yes, the winner typically gets an outsized share of the EC versus their popular vote. That’s actually a good thing. (Do you think Reagan should have gotten 525 EVs? Or HW Bush win 426? Does that mean the Republicans have an inherent EC advantage?) Nope. Neither does Obama winning 332.

Can you imagine a razor thin popular election and no EC? It would make 2000 look like a walk in the park.

The truth is, Despite the slight advantage given to small states with the Electoral College, I’d rather take that over a direct election.

A direct election where we want weeks or months to get the final tally…or an EC that can be generally figured out the same night. Decisions, decisions….

(Do you think Reagan should have gotten 525 EVs? Or HW Bush win 426? Does that mean the Republicans have an inherent EC advantage?) Nope. Neither does Obama winning 332.

I’ve heard this argument a lot, that basically the last thirty plus years of the nation’s evolving demographics are somehow irrelevant and that these results don’t indicate a pretty obvious trend line. It could just as easily be rephrased, “yeah if the Republicans can somehow take California and Illinois they’re probably going to win or something.”

I’ve heard this argument a lot, that basically the last thirty plus years of the nation’s evolving demographics are somehow irrelevant and that these results don’t indicate a pretty obvious trend line. It’s could just as easily be rephrased, “yeah if the Republicans can somehow take California and Illinois they’re probably going to win or something.”

There have been times, not all that long ago, that the Republicans *did* take California and/or Illinois. As I mentioned above, Cali was a very purple swing state until Pete Wilson.

As the Republicans get more and more right-wing, they’re losing the cities. Lighten up a bit on the culture war issues, and they’ll get them back — plenty of New Yorkers and Angelenos are right of center on foreign policy and taxes/business, but they also throw up at the idea that white male christian heterosexuals should be considered the be-all and end-all of American cultural values.

As the Republicans get more and more right-wing, they’re losing the cities. Lighten up a bit on the culture war issues, and they’ll get them back — plenty of New Yorkers and Angelenos are right of center on foreign policy and taxes/business, but they also throw up at the idea that white male christian heterosexuals should be considered the be-all and end-all of American cultural values.

Yeah, I just don’t see the Republican’s doing that any time in the foreseeable future. The business conservatives will split and form a third party before that happens, and depending on how things work out they might eventually attract enough Blue Dogs to make things interesting.

Absolutely. Cop drama set in 1880s London, six months after the Jack The Ripper murders. Characters are well-played, and the seamy side of life in London is on full display. The cops are barely in control of the area under their jurisdiction, and they make interesting use of technological advances of the time, such as moving pictures in the first episode and the emerging science of autopsy in the second.

Like I have said a thousand times, test the logic with an extreme example..

So if every single square foot of land in the entire US burned down to the dirt one year there would be absolutely nothing left to burn the following year. The chart would be sky-high and then the amount of acres burned would go to 0. In the opinion of George Will that would be a sign that everything was fine and dandy. He is an idiot in a bow tie, the worst kind.

Like I have said a thousand times, test the logic with an extreme example..

So if every single square foot of land in the entire US burned down to the dirt one year there would be absolutely nothing left to burn the following year. The chart would be sky-high and then the amount of acres burned would go to 0. In the opinion of George Will that would be a sign that everything was fine and dandy. He is an idiot in a bow tie, the worst kind.

I don’t like extreme examples. There is always the exception to the rule.

Like I have said a thousand times, test the logic with an extreme example..

So if every single square foot of land in the entire US burned down to the dirt one year there would be absolutely nothing left to burn the following year. The chart would be sky-high and then the amount of acres burned would go to 0. In the opinion of George Will that would be a sign that everything was fine and dandy. He is an idiot in a bow tie, the worst kind.

There was a famous anti-global warming piece a while back when a British newspaper seized on a quote from a climate scientist that there was “no statistically significant” global warming since 1995”.

They jumped on it as proof of the “hoax”. They were either ignorant or intentionally deceltive: the scientificic meaning of “statistically significant” means “99+% certainty”, whereas the data from the period dating from 1995-present was only 95% certain, and if you extended the period under observation back by a few years, it was over 99% certain.

I rejected climate change denial years ago, even before I reject the stupid “counter jihad,” paranoid nonsense such as “creeping sharia”. This is just icing on the cake for me, but thanks for bring this to my attention anyway.

Thanks for showing us that. Here’s more on that documentary and what’s going on in Texas and how it could effect the rest of the nation here.

Texas, where science and history have become ideological battlegrounds
[Link: arstechnica.com…]

After Reagan ran with the support of the fundamentalist Christians and then pretty much tossed them aside, they decided to take another approach: to get their people into all levels of government, public administration, education, etc. (they are somehow less successful in science and entertainment).

Texas represents the triumph of this approach. they are so well entrenched that they cannot be assailed, only contained.

Probably one of the biggest reasons they’re not very successful with getting their people into scientific fields is peer review, creationism, and most of what else they try to force down school kids throats would never survive peer review. The evidence for evolution is so overwhelming that pretty much everyone in the scientific community, with a few rare exceptions accepts it, and practically no scientist in a relevant field rejects evolution.

They have to play on the fact that so many Americans are so poorly educated that they do not understand how science works, what terms like “theory” or “statistical significance” mean in a scientific context, leaving plenty of room to present their own case as if it were somehow scientifically valid.

I know, they also try to make it look like scientists who disagree with them are involved in some kind of conspiracy to hide the truth.

And since they know that a lot of people do not understand how peer review works, they can present the scientific community as some sort of cliquey group of effete intellectual snobs who look down on those who do not share their opinions.

Absolutely. Cop drama set in 1880s London, six months after the Jack The Ripper murders. Characters are well-played, and the seamy side of life in London is on full display. The cops are barely in control of the area under their jurisdiction, and they make interesting use of technological advances of the time, such as moving pictures in the first episode and the emerging science of autopsy in the second.

so I stayed up, caught the first two episodes… glad I did, now looking forward to next week (and fanfic ideas percolating, crossovers with the Ritchie!verse Sherlock Holmes). Thanks for the rec.

For serious, Trout. I can’t believe how blatantly dishonest you are being here with what you wrote. You are outright lying about what the poster on DailyKos wrote. I had thought that, despite all your many flaws, you were better than that and had more respect for the readers of this blog.

The “Two weeks ago today” paragraph was written by Anonymous, and the Dkos poster was simply reporting it, in a properly marked blockquote. Dkos is no more suggesting that Schwarz was killed by Obama than you were by quoting the same paragraph.

I thought you had at least a little integrity, but this is just outright lying.

Made me mentally revisit the “Here’s a video by Christopher Hitchens which is 99% concerned with government suppression of free speech, but I’m going to claim it doesn’t mention government suppression of free speech at all.” fiasco.

The funniest thing about that was that I couldn’t watch the video at that time— I think my headphones were broken and it was late or something— and he kept berating me for it. When I finally did, he’d completely misrepresented it.

I mean, by Killgore’s logic here— that just reposting the story neutrally is an endorsement of it— he’s doing the same thing.

For those of us in the US who can’t easily get the UK stuff, here’s The Big Fat Quiz of the year 2012. This is funnier if you know something about British celebrities and politics, but still funny if you don’t.

Will and the other denialists can cherry pick data till the cows come home but, in fact, the cows are not coming home.Cargill corp. will close its meat processing plant in nearby Plainview, laying off 2000 people and essentially destroying the local economy. This is happening specifically because long-term drought has resulted in a serious shortage of cattle in the southwest.

Cargill will idle its Plainview, Texas beef processing plant due to a tight cattle supply brought on by years of drought in the region.

The US cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1952, Cargill said. Increased feed costs resulting from the prolonged drought, combined with herd liquidations by cattle ranchers, are severely challenging the beef industry, said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef. (emphasis added)

Am I the only one who sees that if not for a scant 4-year period (2004-2007) there wouldn’t really be an upward trend line on that plot at all?

There’s a lot of vindication for global warming (and George Will’s oft repeated fallacy of starting from 2006 is obvious BS); hell, basic physics outright requires it from known increased CO2 emissions; but I don’t personally see much conclusive evidence for it from this particular plot, especially considering that all US land area is only a few percent of the entire earth.

Someone correct me if they see something I don’t there. Something shouldn’t be cited as positive evidence for something if it isn’t, even if the phenomenon it supports is 100% true.

Mornin’ all…just a quick drive by post before I get up to prep for another day on the mountain. Saw this story and had to share. Idiots who keep one round chambered…will they never learn?

From the story:

Witnesses said they were playing quick draw with their guns, but they thought all of the guns were unloaded.

And nothing of value was lost.

If you are going to be serious about keeping a handgun as an emergency tool for defensive purposes, keeping a round chambered makes sense.

The problem comes when you are an irresponsible dipshit who doesn’t respect the lethal potential a handgun represents, and having ignored the first fucking law of firearms safety (all guns are always loaded), you choose to play with it like it’s a toy, because you are a child and have no business handling grown-up things that can hurt people.

People who do things like this make me angry. I do not have sympathy for them. I do not have sympathy for the occasional police officer who accidentally shoots another officer during a training exercise for the same reason.

“With great power comes great responsibility” isn’t a lesson that’s only relevant to newly-minted comic book superheroes.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t one of the BIG gun safety rules not to point a gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot? And apparently trigger discipline is another mystery to these morons.

Eh, I’d just list Patrick Daniel Garrett (that gun accident’s victim) as a Darwin Award nominee and move on. Especially for shaming his name; Pat Garrett indeed! If the original man of that name was as incompetent as the most recent iteration he would have shot himself instead of Billy the Kid.

If Mitt Romney actually fell for the propaganda that he was going to win and win big, then I would question his mental status.

I don’t know if we’re ever really going to learn the answer to that. We’d need an honest and relatively non-self-serving account of the 2012 Romney campaign and I do not know who might produce such an account,

RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY

Conspicuously and continuously violated, especially with pistols, Rule II applies whether you are involved in range practice, daily carry, or examination. If the weapon is assembled and in someone’s hands, it is capable of being discharged. A firearm holstered properly, lying on a table, or placed in a scabbard is of no danger to anyone. Only when handled is there a need for concern. This rule applies to fighting as well as to daily handling. If you are not willing to take a human life, do not cover a person with the muzzle. This rule also applies to your own person. Do not allow the muzzle to cover your extremities, e.g. using both hands to reholster the pistol. This practice is unsound, both procedurally and tactically. You may need a free hand for something important. Proper holster design should provide for one-handed holstering, so avoid holsters which collapse after withdrawing the pistol. (Note: It is dangerous to push the muzzle against the inside edge of the holster nearest the body to “open” it since this results in your pointing the pistol at your midsection.) Dry-practice in the home is a worthwhile habit and it will result in more deeply programmed reflexes. Most of the reflexes involved in the Modern Technique do not require that a shot be fired. Particular procedures for dry-firing in the home will be covered later. Let it suffice for now that you do not dry-fire using a “target” that you wish not to see destroyed. (Recall RULE I as well.)

Look, it’s all too easy to have a little chuckle at morons killing themselves through stupidity and move on. And it’s certainly true that idiots can kill themselves without guns.

But just like every other death and injury involving guns, the guns make it many, many times easier. That’s why they exist. And only in the US where guns are more important than humans do people not sit up and say, you know, we can’t stop people being dumb, but hasn’t anyone noticed that we have an awful, awful lot of people doing dumb things with deadly weapons, and causing untold numbers of totally unnecessary deaths and injuries every day?

Every death and injury carries with it costs. Medical costs, social costs, societal costs. This idiot had friends and family. They, and he, now pay the price for a culture that treats guns as toys, fashion accessories, and religious icons.

How would that matter? The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA2 for me, ‘ERA’ having another meaning) had a ten year time limit for ratification, a limit long expired. Once that limit was exceeded, the amendment would have to pass both houses of Congress again by a 2/3rds vote.

They, and he, now pay the price for a culture that treats guns as toys, fashion accessories, and religious icons.

Obliquely related:

Especially now, a lot of concealed-carry license holders only have concealed-carry licenses because they have made it part of their identity. They see themselves as the kind of person who carries a concealed firearm. They’re reinforcing their self-image with that specific lifestyle choice. There’s also a certain degree of ego inflation at work. They have no concept of themselves as statistically irrelevant in a sea of hundreds of millions of fellow citizens. They don’t realize that they go through life every bit as ignored as they ignore the hundreds or thousands of people they pass by every day in traffic. Nope, they could be a target.

As it goes, I think people who are not dangerous/insane/idiots should be allowed to carry firearms once they have demonstrated (to a much more stringent degree than most states currently accept) that they are capable of doing so in a safe and responsible manner. But I also think — and there is probably no way of ever enforcing this — that they should understand why they are choosing to do so. Do you really think you need to carry a gun, or do you just think that you’re the sort of person who carries a gun?

How would that matter? The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA2 for me, ‘ERA’ having another meaning) had a ten year time limit for ratification, a limit long expired. Once that limit was exceeded, the amendment would have to pass both houses of Congress again by a 2/3rds vote.

(Post copied to GGT’s Page as well.)

Signing the Petition is a show of support.

I have no illusions that it will have a direct result in any legislation. I doubt the creator of the petition does either.

Emotions seem to be what drive us humans —especially in matters of politics and economics.

I know. Truth to tell, I myself would prefer a much longer ERA2, which would detail the amendment’s interaction with the rest of the Constitution and provide for its interaction with existing legislation. That would remove the only major objection I have to the ERA2.

I know. Truth to tell, I myself would prefer a much longer ERA2, which would detail the amendment’s interaction with the rest of the Constitution and provide for its interaction with existing legislation. That would remove the only major objection I have to the ERA2.

Any legislation proposed would be different that the original ERA in many ways. DF, you know every politician would have get their .02 in. I haven’t even begun to speculate on what it could look like. I don’t see the point until there is enough momentum that we see it in the MSM or even Maddow or Stewart joking about it.

I have a feeling there are many versions already written and waiting in the wings for the right to submit. It’s up to the voters to create the right time. THAT TIME IS NOW!

When will these clubs ban the use of any pyrotechnic device in their establishments?

They probably won’t, because allowing them is something clubs use to book acts that are likely big ‘draws’. Such acts represent too much money to ignore; Someone will always be be willing to grab at it.

The only time my grandfather struck me was the second time I pointed a muzzle at him.

In my defense, I was 8 and I wasn’t aiming at him. I was with the Adults of the family while they went pheasant hunting, and the shotgun was getting a little heavy and awkward as I stumbled through the harvested cornfield. Of course, that defense is probably why he only struck me instead of trying to beat the crap out of me.

You see, my grandfather was a bit serious about firearm safety. Back when he was what we these days call a pre-teen, he and his brothers were out hunting and his brother shot him with what was supposedly an unloaded gun. Cut across the flat of the palm, severing every one of the inner tendons.

The doctor was a genius, though he didn’t appreciate it till he tried to enlist for WWI. Doctor said he’d so something he’d learned from a civil war doctor and stitched each of the major tendons back together, then told his mother that he needed to exercise it so he’d have some use. The hand was permanently cupped - couldn’t extend flat - but had enough use he could grip and carry. (And the thumb was fine.) As I said, when he tried to enlist in WWI he was rejected by the doctor and complained about the quack. “Son, you get down on your knees every day and thank God for that quack. If it’d been me I’d have cut it off.”

Yeah, my grandfather was a bit perturbed when people pointed muzzles in anyone’s direction. He managed to pass that along to all his kids and most of his grandkids.

My grand dad was super strict too. Not just about guns either!
There are certain particularly dangerous things a youngster can do that has to get a very strong correction. The kind they remember above almost all other punishments. (Not saying hitting a kid is a good idea, just calling for a huge impression) Guns, cars (ever heard of a kid starting a car to a bad end?) the chemical/poison cabinet, fire…. Just because these things are flat out deadly in accidents.

SOUNDS like your Grandfather and my Dear ole’ Dad had the same teacher.

The problem these days is that the “in-home” gun control isn’t what it was. We have to face this somehow.

Legislation seems not to be in the stars.

How would legislation of in-home gun storage work out?

Without weapon registration you don’t know how many guns are in any particular home. And then you get into how one goes about inspecting and enforcing storage rules once enacted. Any sort of active or periodic inspection regime will raise howls of protest over invasion of homes and privacy. And if there is not any sort of active inspection, a passive system is going to turn into fines and charges added on after the fact when improper storage is noted as a follow-up to something else having the police enter the house.

Without weapon registration you don’t know how many guns are in any particular home. And then you get into how one goes about inspecting and enforcing storage rules once enacted. Any sort of active or periodic inspection regime will raise howls of protest over invasion of homes and privacy. And if there is not any sort of active inspection, a passive system is going to turn into fines and charges added on after the fact when improper storage is noted as a follow-up to something else having the police enter the house.

THe point being …

Gun nuts are going to have to agree to some sort of registration or moratorium on manufacturing. Ammo Tax, something.

Government is going to have to step-in and pick-up the slack —somehow, someway.

The dogs are taking their mid-morning nap and the Cat Overlord has given his approval for me to join them.

I wonder what he does while we are asleep?

Have a good day all!

Mid-morning is one of the cat play times. He will be off in the larder doing inventory of cat food, cat nip, and other necessities.

Here the two cats are in private time. LC (Loose Cannon) aka Chat Noir is sitting on the den window sill looking out the window. Puffin aka PuffyButt is (goes to check) is lazing on the office chair in the bedroom sunning her legs.

Kathleen Wynne has won the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party and is set to become the province’s first female premier, after a closely fought race with Sandra Pupatello.

Wynne, the 59-year-old MPP for Don Valley West, is a long-time party member who has had several cabinet roles, including minister of transportation and minister of education.

She has vowed to bring back the legislature on Feb. 19, saying Ontarians are not looking for another election.

Wynne, who is openly gay, had earlier asked delegates in an opening speech: “Can a gay woman win?”

She now has an answer.

Throughout her leadership campaign, she vowed to represent all minorities and reinforce ties within her party. After being declared the winner Saturday evening, she brought caucus members on stage in a symbolic show of unity.

She also noted in her victory speech that, while she holds a Toronto riding, she will represent all of Ontario as premier.

I just love how much there is in this article to make some of the right wingers heads pop right off. We have a gay woman in a liberal leadership role who also works hard to rally minorities to her side. WASP super villain in the making?

For those unaware, a Premier is the Canadian equivalent of a state governor.

Also with the election of Wynne, more than half of Canada is now run by women.

I just love how much there is in this article to make some of the right wingers heads pop right off. We have a gay woman in a liberal leadership role who also works hard to rally minorities to her side. WASP super villain in the making?

For those unaware, a Premier is the Canadian equivalent of a state governor.

Also with the election of Wynne, more than half of Canada is now run by women.

What’s what I hear? More heads popping off?

Not here, friend. I love Ontario: So many people there will sign up for conferences and training sessions.

I just love how much there is in this article to make some of the right wingers heads pop right off. We have a gay woman in a liberal leadership role who also works hard to rally minorities to her side. WASP super villain in the making?

For those unaware, a Premier is the Canadian equivalent of a state governor.

Also with the election of Wynne, more than half of Canada is now run by women.

What’s what I hear? More heads popping off?

Oh noes! Monthly invasions from the north bombarding us with poutine in their attempts to advance upon Texas.
;)

Why is it stupid Gus? Because comparing the U.S. economy to that of Latin American nations is inappropriate?

Gus has a point. Income inequality may be greater here, but ‘depth of poverty’ is far less, that meaning that the poor here are less poor than the poor there. And while the rich are richer, the government is less corrupt and honest people have a better chance. That’s not to say Latin American nations don’t try to improve, for some (Brazil and Columbia for example) are honestly trying and they are improving.

Without weapon registration you don’t know how many guns are in any particular home. And then you get into how one goes about inspecting and enforcing storage rules once enacted. Any sort of active or periodic inspection regime will raise howls of protest over invasion of homes and privacy. And if there is not any sort of active inspection, a passive system is going to turn into fines and charges added on after the fact when improper storage is noted as a follow-up to something else having the police enter the house.

Passive after-the-fact works fine.

Licensed pilots are required to keep up a certain amount of practice, to have the plane go through certain inspections every x hours of flight time, and to keep detailed logs. But nobody ever comes around to look at your logs, you don’t have to bring them anywhere to show anyone… unless there’s an “Incident”, when the investigators are there anyway, that’s when they take a look, and god help you if you haven’t dotted every I and crossed every T. (and you can’t claim you didn’t know, these requirements are part of the questions on the written test you have to pass before they let you take the checkride to demonstrate proficiency. And the checkride is super-picky, you don’t get a license unless you truly are capable.)

Gus has a point. Income inequality may be greater here, but ‘depth of poverty’ is far less, that meaning that the poor here are less poor than the poor there. And while the rich are richer, the government is less corrupt and honest people have a better chance. That’s not to say Latin American nations don’t try to improve, for some (Brazil and Columbia for example) are honestly trying and they are improving.

One could also say it appears to be higher here because we more billionaires. We have a said 20 percent which you divide by the countless numbers of billionaires in the USA. While in those countries you’re dividing the 20 percent by relatively few millionaires and maybe a handful of billionaires.

My dad was a big softie in most ways. You weren’t supposed to say George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words, but from time to time you could get away with it (context is everything) and even if you didn’t get away with it, the consequences weren’t terribly harsh. There were rules, but they were bent or ignored from time to time.

But my dad had guns, too, and while we enjoyed shooting as a fun form of recreation, they inhabited an entirely separate realm, so to speak. We had “rules” about household behavior, but where the guns were concerned, we had laws. When Dad explained to you the laws concerning the guns, he gave you That Look the whole time. It didn’t occur to you what the consequences might be for violating the laws. That wasn’t the point. The cost-benefit analysis of “how much trouble would I get in if I broke this rule” never played into it. You just instinctively knew that you shouldn’t do it, just like you knew that you shouldn’t swallow nails or set the curtains on fire.

I strongly suspect that the fools behind stunts like “Gun Appreciation Day” never learned those laws the way I and many others did.

I was under the impression the U.S. economy is somewhat unique in terms of wealth distribution compared to most other first world nations (which would be the obvious choices for comparison).

I don’t think it does much good to compare. The problem is that we have so many billionaires and millionaires that it does appear to be more poorly distributed. Honduras, which they claim to be more equitable is amongst the poorest country in Latin America.

The people of Honduras are among the poorest in Latin America; Gross national income per capita (2007) is $US 1,649; the average for Central America is $US 6,736.

One could also say it appears to be higher here because we more billionaires. We have a said 20 percent which you divide by the countless numbers of billionaires in the USA. While in those countries you’re dividing the 20 percent by relatively few millionaires and maybe a handful of billionaires.

Also notice how high Chavez’s socialist utopia is on that list. Anyone with money has fled or had their businesses confiscated long ago. Meanwhile the entire country waits in line at empty grocery stores for basics like bread and sugar.

Also notice how high Chavez’s socialist utopia is on that list. Anyone with money has fled or had their businesses confiscated long ago. Meanwhile the entire country waits in line at empty grocery stores for basics like bread and sugar.

The Republic of Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America. It is a lower middle-income country with persistent poverty and inequality challenges and a per-capita income of about US$1,880 in 2010. Although the government has achieved a degree of economic stability since 2000, progress has not resulted in improved living conditions or reduced poverty for the country’s huge proportion of poor people. It ranks 121 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Development Programme’s 2011 Human Development Index – a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.

The country’s population of approximately 8 million people is divided evenly between urban and rural areas. However, poverty is essentially a rural problem. Poverty in the country affects 60 per cent of the population, while 36 per cent live under extreme poverty conditions. In rural areas, these figures rise to 63 per cent and 50 per cent respectively.

Poverty is prevalent in central hillside areas in the interior highlands of Honduras, which are home to about 75 per cent of the rural population, including indigenous groups. The highest concentration of rural poverty is found in the western region, which also has the greatest concentration of extreme poverty. Lack of access to land and basic services, a vulnerable environment and low agricultural productivity are among the problems at the root of poverty in the country. A lack of employment opportunities in rural areas has been a major driving force behind the country’s high level of emigration…

Buzzards and children compete for scraps at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras, landfill. Boys scavenge for anything they can eat or sell. Northbound freight trains through Mexico are crowded with Hondurans fleeing poverty and in search of work or a relative in the U.S.

in Venezuela’s distorted oil-driven economy, it’s the staple products that go scarce while luxury goods and niche-market items are easy to find.

“You can find 18-year whiskey on any street corner. The problem is finding the basic goods,” said Iris Moreno, 63, a retired economist. “Somebody walks by with a shopping bag and you say ‘Is that yellow stuff corn flour?’ And they say, ‘Yes ma’am, hurry before it runs out!’”

Under price controls created by Chavez, merchants can be fined or jailed for selling products such as milk, cooking oil and corn flour - crucial for making pancake-like “arepas” that are a staple in Venezuela - for more than the price set by the state.

But they are free to sell champagne, basmati rice or truffle oil at the price they please, leaving supermarkets and corner stores stocked with a range of goods that many consumers have no use nor budget for.

Also notice how high Chavez’s socialist utopia is on that list. Anyone with money has fled or had their businesses confiscated long ago. Meanwhile the entire country waits in line at empty grocery stores for basics like bread and sugar.

Licensed pilots are required to keep up a certain amount of practice, to have the plane go through certain inspections every x hours of flight time, and to keep detailed logs. But nobody ever comes around to look at your logs, you don’t have to bring them anywhere to show anyone… unless there’s an “Incident”, when the investigators are there anyway, that’s when they take a look, and god help you if you haven’t dotted every I and crossed every T. (and you can’t claim you didn’t know, these requirements are part of the questions on the written test you have to pass before they let you take the checkride to demonstrate proficiency. And the checkride is super-picky, you don’t get a license unless you truly are capable.)

That feeds into having more stringent ownership and licensing requirements on the front end of getting the gun in the first place, does it not? Extended safety training, etc. with an analogy to inspections being mandatory refresher training?

However, I think there are considerable differences in a number of ways between aircraft piloting controls and licensing and licensing and inspection/control of guns. Scale, numbers, and status of the current system to name a few examples.

That’s where you have to look at a mix of statistics. Median income in the country as well as average income, said distribution, etc. It’s always easy to find one particular statistic in the group that you can harp on as proving your point while bypassing the real picture that all of them together present.

Buzzards and children compete for scraps at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras, landfill. Boys scavenge for anything they can eat or sell. Northbound freight trains through Mexico are crowded with Hondurans fleeing poverty and in search of work or a relative in the U.S.

But hey. They have better income distribution.

And you can just about guarantee the basic education system in those areas sucks as well. Without that the odds against you ever having a chance of getting out of poverty go way up and the brutal cycle just continues. A vast waste of brains that could have considerable potential.

It is a shame that South America has been so neglected. With the recent problems in Mali I’ve been reminded that problems in sub-Saharan Africa are so often ignored until there’s a flare up of something sensational enough to attract Western Media attention. There’s a whole world out there and there are no easy solutions.

I don’t think it does much good to compare. The problem is that we have so many billionaires and millionaires that it does appear to be more poorly distributed. Honduras, which they claim to be more equitable is amongst the poorest country in Latin America.

That we have so many billionaires and millionaires actually means that it’s poorly distributed, not just appears to be.

I know, they also try to make it look like scientists who disagree with them are involved in some kind of conspiracy to hide the truth.

Remember “Climate Gate?”

If you start as a Christian creationist that thinks evolution is a lie to discredit their beliefs, there’s nowhere to go but conspiracy theories. Most of the conservative nonsense is rooted in this one deeply cherished ridiculously wrong belief, and the Republicans use this as a lever to manipulate ignorant people into hating anything reasonable, and voting for scoundrels.

My own otherwise intelligent brother and sister-in-law live this Republican fantasy-based worldview, so I’m very familiar with it, and how it creates conspiracies within conspiracies until everyone with an education is out to get you.

Since abortion was legalized by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, January 22, 1973, over 54 million babies have been aborted in the United States alone. This tragedy is compounded by the emotional scars carried by women who have experienced abortions.

Between 35-40% of women in the U.S. have had an abortion. The grief and guilt a woman carries with her after an abortion can be overwhelming. Abortion has been linked to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal attempts or thoughts. Even the Supreme Court has acknowledged that some women come to regret the choice they’ve made to “abort the infant they once created and sustained… severe depression and loss of esteem can follow,” (Gonzales v. Carhart 550 U.S. 124, 159 (2007)). Even so, a majority of women never receive counseling or support following an abortion. One study notes that two thirds of women reported not receiving any counseling related to their abortion.

The grief and guilt a woman carries with her after an abortion can be overwhelming. Abortion has been linked to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal attempts or thoughts.

Is this seen in normal people, or is it just social-conservatives losing it due to their inability to tell the difference between choosing to not have a child and infanticide?

Anything to do with babies or giving birth is an emotional event, especially for women. This program seems to be a ploy to exploit those emotions: see you’ll feel guilty for murdering that baby. You don’t want that guilt do you?

I’mNotSorry.net was created for the purpose of showing women that exercising their legal right to terminate their pregnancy is not the blood-spattered guilt trip so many make it out to be. It is not intended to make women’s decisions for them, but to provide information to make the choice that will be best for them. This site exists to tell women that it’s okay not to feel sad or ashamed after an abortion. You are not a baby killer. You are not irresponsible. You are not selfish. And, above all, you are not evil.

Care to rethink your post and consider what you’re going to say about it?

I think mainstreaming the conspiracy theory that Obama’s DoJ killed Arron is every bit as stupid as anything from Alex Jones or Glenn Beck. It’s stupid and it’s untrue. The fact that Anon press releases and paranoid conspiracy theories are promoted by mainstream progressive websites is very unhelpful and damages credibility when pointing out that conservative sites do the same thing. It’s nutty and it’s a turn off to people who may otherwise be persuaded to rethink their positions. Would you give a pass to Glenn Beck for repeating some bogus press release from Americans for prosperity? Of course not.
Spreading antigovernment conspiracy theories about our our president is a dickish and destructive thing to do no matter who does it.

Yep. The article blows, but income inequality in the US is terrible and it’s going to continue to cause financial crisis after crisis until we get it under control.

Yes. The article does blow which doesn’t mean that life in the USA is rather inequitable for many. How to solve that is a long term goal with no quick answers since it involves many entrenched values dating back 1000s of years.

I think mainstreaming the conspiracy theory that Obama’s DoJ killed Arron is every bit as stupid as anything from Alex Jones or Glenn Beck. It’s stupid and it’s untrue. The fact that Anon press releases and paranoid conspiracy theories are promoted by mainstream progressive websites is very unhelpful and damages credibility when pointing out that conservative sites do the same thing. It’s nutty and it’s a turn off to people who may otherwise be persuaded to rethink their positions. Would you give a pass to Glenn Beck for repeating some bogus press release from Americans for prosperity? Of course not.
Spreading antigovernment conspiracy theories about our our president is a dickish and destructive thing to do no matter who does it.

Okay, so you think that by quoting the Anon press release they’re “mainstreaming the conspiracy theory”?

You mean like when you quoted it above or what?

Cuz, like, in that post on DailyKos, that’s just reporting, man. It’s not endorsing and not claiming ideas as their own. In fact, they’re quoting from a mainstream news source when they blockquote the Anon statement.

You tried to claim that “Dkos accuses the Obama regime of killing hacker” except they did no such thing, no more than any other blog or news agency did. What is your support for this statement? Other than you blatantly lying.

Having a baby that you’re unable to take good care of and raise right is about as irresponsible as it gets. This is how we wind up with feral teenagers.

To don my devil’s advocate hat, anti-choicers would instantly respond to such an argument with, “then give it up for adoption to a loving couple who DOES want it.”

How to rebut that? Personally, I default to the “no one is entitled to use the body or organs of another without their consent” (also known as the “violinist argument”, which I first heard from LGF’s jamesfirecat)

I’ve been on Fox News for 45 minutes. They did a plug segment for the Christian abortion support group reality show, I wasn’t surprised its supported by the FRC.

Dirty guilt tripping scum.

The women I’ve known who have had abortions, myself included, have all expressed the same primary emotion: intense relief. Those who suffer such guilt, depression, etc. are those who have internalized the constant message that they are evil murderers and failures as women human beings. The problem is not the abortion but that message.

…and Dkos what one of the hot spots for popularizing the conspiracy theory that the Banks and the Feds were conspiring against OWS. Before that it was the Israelis orchestrating the crackdown. Before that the 9-11 Truth movement was so popular on Dkos that it had to be officially banned.

In fact, they’re quoting from a mainstream news source when they blockquote the Anon statement.

Correcting my own statement: They’re actually quoting from ZDnet, which is probably not considered a mainstream news source by a strict definition. But in any case, the attribution on the statement is clear, and the Dkos diary does nothing to claim support for the theory.

They’re just reporting it in a blockquote, like Killgore did on this very site.

Next time someone posts a comment of the effect “look what crazy Pam Geller is up to!” with a blockquote, are they likewise gonna be mainstreaming her conspiracy theory? Gawrsh.

Long story short: Killgore, you blatantly lied about Dkos, and it’s fucking obvious to anyone who clicks through the link you cited in #23. Are you really gonna continue to double down on this?

…and Dkos what one of the hot spots for popularizing the conspiracy theory that the Banks and the Feds were conspiring against OWS. Before that it was the Israelis orchestrating the crackdown. Before that the 9-11 Truth movement was so popular on Dkos that it had to be officially banned.

And yet you still have to lie about what they said about Aaron Swartz, despite how awful Dkos can be at times! Shocker.

This statement by you — “Dkos accuses the Obama regime of killing hacker” — is obviously false to anyone who follows the link you provided. Do you really have such little integrity, Trout?

As you point out in the second half of your post, adoption only solves half the problem. The mother has still had her life hijacked and will most likely will fall behind her peers in education, and lag behind financially and intellectually for their entire life. If enough people fail this way, we all suffer from the loss of what they might have been.

Anyone who chooses to terminate the pregnancy solves both ends of the problem, and frees up an adopting parent to take care of a real child that exists and is suffering. If they’re free from religious indoctrination that would cause them mental harm, there is no downside. It’s only a problem to the blastocyst/fetus fetish crowd.

Killgore, you’re still operating under the illusion that OWS, Anon, et al. have any influence on the mainstream left. Most of the people I volunteered with in the Obama campaign were to the right of me, and didn’t even care about any of that stuff.

In comparison, almost all the Republican events I have had the misfortune of being associated with have featured ranting at liberals and socialists in the government.

It was a massive loss of credibility for those who claimed to be against radicalism and political violence.

Ah, I see, so it’s loss of credibility that that displeases you. In that case I suppose you haven’t been misrepresenting things out of your own dishonesty—perish the thought!—you’ve simply been illustrating to us how it’s done.

chutzpah (n.)
also hutzpah, 1892, from Yiddish khutspe “impudence, gall.” from Hebrew hutspah. The classic definition is that given by Leo Rosten: “that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.”

In 1991 at a meeting of Dads Against Discrimination at an Anchorage, Alaska Denny’s restaurant, Ross was overheard saying, “If a guy can’t rape his wife…who’s he gonna rape?” and “There wouldn’t be an issue with domestic violence if women would learn to keep their mouth shut.”

Killgore, you’re still operating under the illusion that OWS, Anon, et al. have any influence on the mainstream left. Most of the people I volunteered with in the Obama campaign were to the right of me, and didn’t even care about any of that stuff.

In comparison, almost all the Republican events I have had the misfortune of being associated with have featured ranting at liberals and socialists in the government.

We have some folks right here with some odd ideas from the Republicans that are otherwise reasonable people. It’s stubbornness, and they really shouldn’t call themselves Republicans, but they are sane and self-identify as Republican at this time.

Killgore, you’re still operating under the illusion that OWS, Anon, et al. have any influence on the mainstream left. Most of the people I volunteered with in the Obama campaign were to the right of me, and didn’t even care about any of that stuff.

In comparison, almost all the Republican events I have had the misfortune of being associated with have featured ranting at liberals and socialists in the government.

This is what kills me; there is a clear difference between what’s driving the two parties. To think that OWS and Anon are allowed near the dining room, let alone having a seat at the table, is just stupid.

On the other hand, Paul Ryan pretty much said today that he is pretty much willing to torch the economy if he doesn’t get what he wants. That’s Tea Bag 101, from supposedly one of the “serious budget wonks” in today’s GOP.

Simply put, because it is wrong. It shows a lack of integrity and a certain level of scorn for the readers. It could also mislead new members and/or casual passers by who aren’t familiar with his post-OWS history (I don’t recall him doing it before then).

Simply put, because it is wrong. It shows a lack of integrity and a certain level of scorn for the readers. It could also mislead new members and/or casual passers by who aren’t familiar with his post-OWS history (I don’t recall him doing it before then).

iirc (which I believe i do) he was pretty hot and heavy on Tea Party nasty background and associations digging day in and day out

Simply put, because it is wrong. It shows a lack of integrity and a certain level of scorn for the readers. It could also mislead new members and/or casual passers by who aren’t familiar with his post-OWS history (I don’t recall him doing it before then).

We have some folks right here with some odd ideas from the Republicans that are otherwise reasonable people. It’s stubbornness, and they really shouldn’t call themselves Republicans, but they are sane and self-identify as Republican at this time.

Speaking of which, I want to bang my head against the wall because in the pages my opposition to Bushmasters for Kids™ means I’m against every gun publication ever.

It is a wonderful thing that words written many years ago can inspire people today. When Carl Sagan wrote his essay “Reflections on a Mote of Dust” (commonly called “Pale Blue Dot”), he must have known how special it was. His words were inspired by a picture taken from a spacecraft 6 billion kilometers away, a probe commanded to turn around and look at our solar system from this great distance. It was so terribly remote at the time that our entire planet appears as a simple pale blue dot, a single pixel of color in a vast patch of darkness…

One would think, with all of the Godwin-invoking that the Twitter nuts have done over the past week, that more than one of them would have acknowledged that today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

iirc (which I believe i do) he was pretty hot and heavy on Tea Party nasty background and associations digging day in and day out

I remember that as well. I wasn’t referring to the things he says that are true—and he does still tell the truth—the problem is when he misrepresents things, which he’s been doing with annoying regularity for a while now.

The issue wasn’t whether or not DKos influences people, people are upset because KT started off by framing his comment as Dkos accuses the Obama regime of killing hacker, and then proceeded to use a quote by Anonymous from the article in a way that made it appear is if the author at DKos had said it. He hadn’t, he was just quoting Anonymous the same way Charles & the rest of us quote the crazy crap Geller or Beck or Louie Gohmert or whoever says.

One would think, with all of the Godwin-invoking that the Twitter nuts have done over the past week, that more than one of them would have acknowledged that today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

One would think, with all of the Godwin-invoking that the Twitter nuts have done over the past week, that more than one of them would have acknowledged that today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Among the celebrating Gao crowds, many smoked cigarettes, women went unveiled and some men wore shorts to flout the severe sharia Islamic law the rebels had imposed for months. Youths on motorcycles flew the flags of Mali, France and Niger, whose troops also helped secure the ancient town on the Niger River.

“Now we can breathe freely,” said Hawa Toure, 25, wearing a colorful traditional African robe banned under sharia for being too revealing. “We are as free as the wind today. We thank all of our friends around the world who helped us,” she said.

“The replacement of elected officials not committed to and demonstrating the principles of limited government, free markets and fiscal responsibility is a mission of the UKTP,” the United Kentucky Tea Party said in its release targeting the fifth-term senator who is up for re-election in 2014.

Irate at McConnell’s legislative record and recent role in cutting tax-and-spending deals with Obama, leaders of Tea Party- affiliated groups met Jan. 12 in Kentucky to discuss recruiting a primary opponent for him. Yet nobody has come forward to target McConnell, 70, whose $6.8 million in campaign cash and formidable political standing has helped to dissuade would-be opponents.

Some Tea Party leaders in Kentucky say they’re reluctant to incite a Republican feud that might cost the party the seat.

“I am not sold on the idea of running a candidate against McConnell — it’s a huge risk,” said Sarah Durand, president of the Louisville Tea Party, who refused to sign onto the UKTP statement.

Nah, OWS really did have a problem from the start: it was half people who wanted political action, and half people who thought the whole political system was irretrievably broken and were ideological non-voters. A lot them followed the same “Not much difference between Obama and Romney” line of reasoning Killgore did.

They also mutated as they went along, so that as time progressed only the most die-hard elements remained.

But your overall point is true: OWS never was in the least bit mainstreamed. The comparison really isn’t between OWS and the Tea Party, it’s OWS and the GOP. The GOP may have some ‘reasonable’ people in it like OWS did, but they’re paralyzed from acting by the radicals.

I wonder how the France-hating rightwingers are gonna spin this one, given that French ground troops were instrumental in the liberation of Mali.

They probably bitch about the US not being involved enough. We do need to rethink the way we offer support for these sorts of things. Since WWII we’ve been driving some really hard bargains. 200 year leases to build permanent military bases, unlimited use of airspace, probably a lot of mandatory business deals, mineral rights, etc. Sometimes we should back off and do more stuff because it’s the right thing to do.

This is by far the most critical point and should be brayed from every rooftop. There was a version of OWS that did our political discourse a massive favor.

I really still don’t know if OWS just surfed that wave or helped to make it. But it’s a moot point. I’m glad that however it surfaced, income inequality and the falsehood of the ‘job creator’ meme was talked about.

The movement really did have a fundamental problem, as I said above, a conflict between those who wanted to sign people up to vote and support progressive Democrats and fight in the traditional power structure, and those who honestly think that our system is beyond repair and honestly think that the Democrats are almost as culpable as the Republicans. The consensus-based decision-making bit meant that this was never going to be really resolved, meaning that it was really difficult for anything to come out of OWS that was still “OWS” and wasn’t purely symbolic.

I don’t think it ever had much potential as a movement, per se. It had value as a signal. The signal happened, the most extreme fringe took control (as always happens in any such group), and things ran their course.

Someone did, of course, forget to inform the diehards that they had run their course.

The ongoing support for [Scott] Roeder also is apparent in the appeal of his murder conviction. Seven abortion opponents who asked in 2010 and 2011 to file friend-of-the-court briefs were spurned without comment by the Kansas Supreme Court. Other activists are now writing legal briefs for Roeder to file himself, arguing Tiller’s death was necessary to defend the unborn. No oral arguments are scheduled in his appeal.

The Rev. Don Spitz of Virginia, who runs the Army of God website, which supports violence against abortion providers and clinics, is helping Roeder with correspondence.

Roeder likes to “debate” with people who write and often asks Spitz to mail them a militant anti-abortion book written by Paul Hill, a Florida man who was executed for murdering an abortion provider in 1994, Spitz said. Roeder also asks him to send them the book written by the Rev. Michael Bray, an Ohio activist and author of “A Time to Kill,” which defends using lethal force to protect the unborn.

Speaking frankly, there was also the problem of New York City being located in a place with winter. I’m not sure it would have collapsed into quite the same morass of fringe goobers if our financial center were in, say, Atlanta.

With Occupy LA the deliberate lack of official leadership kinda ensured the message never tried to have coherence. Flat committees just are not the best structure for economic advocacy. Maybe any advocacy. A clear concise spokesperson or persons would have helped a great deal.

Speaking frankly, there was also the problem of New York City being located in a place with winter. I’m not sure it would have collapsed into quite the same morass of fringe goobers if our financial center were in, say, Atlanta.

I think it would have because the ideological non-voters weren’t really open to conversion by the ones who wanted to engage with the political process. I guess it could have split in a semi-organized fashion, but I bet that friction would have been too much.

One thing it really taught me is the need for community organizers. There were a lot of normal-but-fed-up people there, the problems they were complaining about were real, but it was just so disorganized and so full of people who thought that expressing themselves was the ne plus ultra of political action.

Who’s most to blame for our divisive politics? How about the gerrymanderers quietly deciding where your vote goes. Inside the dark art and modern science of making democracy a lot less democratic.
…….
“…Hofeller’s helpful tips give way to the sinister warnings of a gimlet-eyed, semi-­clandestine political operative: “Make sure your security is real.” “Make sure your computer is in a PRIVATE location.” “ ‘Emails are the tool of the devil.’ Use personal contact or a safe phone!” “Don’t reveal more than necessary.” “BEWARE of non­-partisan, or bi­-partisan, staff bearing gifts. They probably are not your friends.”

Be discreet. Plan ahead. Follow the law. Don’t overreach. Tom Hofeller relishes the blood sport of redistricting, but there is a responsible way—as Hofeller himself demonstrated this past cycle in the artful (if baldly partisan) redrawing of North Carolina’s maps—and also a reckless way. So that his message will penetrate, he tells audiences horror stories about states that ignored his warnings and went with maps that either were tossed out by the federal courts or created more political problems than they solved.

Already Hofeller has picked out which cautionary tale he will relay during the next decennial tour. The new horror story, he’s decided, will be Texas, which stood, this past cycle, as a powerful example of how reckless a redistricting process can become. That mangled effort also provides a stark contrast to the maps Hofeller helped create in North Carolina—­drawings that demonstrate how in the blood sport of redistricting, the most cravenly political results are won with calculating prudence.”

I’m moving out of this dump and into a moderately less dumpy dump next month, and part of my “packing” strategy has been to get rid of as much of my crap as possible. Holy moley, it sure is easy to accumulate a lot of crap without trying.

At the insistence of a friend who’s much more experienced with it than I am, I turned to Craigslist. It has been quite an experience to say the least.

Some of the stuff (namely a mid-80s 4x12 Marshall speaker cabinet, a Carvin X100-B head that I really hated to part with, and a small assortment of old Boss and DOD pedals) sold right away, to likable upstanding folks who I’m sure will use it well.

Other stuff has been very difficult to sell (like a 32” CRT television, for example) and the hard-to-move stuff seems to attract weirdos and scammers for some reason.

Here’s an example of one reply I got after I answered a reasonable question about the TV.

Thanks for getting back to me , The price is okay by me , I won’t be coming down to look on it, as i’m so busy for now and i’m presenting it to my Brother In-law cos when i visited i don’t like what i saw. I will appreciate if you can send me more closer picture but if not there no problem. My mode of payment is via Certified Bank check or Money Order check cos its more safer to me and i have been using that to buy items on Craigslist without any problem. Once you have the check i will wait until the check is clear in your bank before any procedure. In order to do this i need full name and address and contact # in which you want the check to be mail to and what name.

My shipper will come for the pick up as soon as payment is certified. Also I will be adding an excess to the payment on the check that will be sent to you which you will send the the balance to my shipper for their shipping cost. I’m asking you to do this for me cos my schedule for now is very tight. Once again am gonna wait until the check is clear by your bank before any procedure

Regards.

That sounds like every 419 scam I’ve ever seen. {delete}

Another person wanted me to come to him — at night, no less — so he could look at a not-exactly-cheap guitar I’m selling. The address he gave turned out to be a car wash in a very dodgy part of town. So many things wrong with that, I don’t even know where to start.

And of course, the whole time I’m doing this, all I can think of is the following:

The continued implosion of the North Korean country may be behind the new round of antagonism. Unfortunately, I fear the leadership and military are so brainwashed that they will lash out violently against South Korea, Japan, and if they can reach us, America rather than go quietly.

Speaking frankly, there was also the problem of New York City being located in a place with winter. I’m not sure it would have collapsed into quite the same morass of fringe goobers if our financial center were in, say, Atlanta.

Sometimes it’s just common sense, I mean I’m a libertarian and I think austerity is the wrong solution for the current problem. Once the economy has recovered more, then it’d make sense, but right now? Austerity is like bleeding a patient after a stab wound.

You’d think they’d have learned after watching the IMF impose austerity on third world countries for decades.

Actually, that’s not what the AP article that TP referenced indicates. The AP article said that the debt has stabilized.

The countries’ total government debt relative to their annual economic output was barely changed at 90 percent of gross domestic product in the third quarter of 2012 compared with 89.9 percent for three months earlier, the EU’s statistics office Eurostat reported. It was up from 86.8 percent of GDP a year earlier.

“The cause behind the slight increase is no longer a growing debt pile, but a shrinking gross domestic product,” said Ulrich Kater, an economist with Germany’s DekaBank.

“It is positive news that the trend of increasing debt, which began with the financial crisis five years ago, has been stopped,” he added.

Debt is 90 percent of the Eurozone GDP average — I’ll assume. Reuters breaks it down as:

Debt in Ireland, where a burst real estate bubble forced the country into an international bailout, reached 117 percent of economic output in the quarter, while the number was 127 percent in Italy. Spain saw its burden tick up to 77 percent of GDP, and the Commission sees it reaching 97 percent in 2014.

Going back to AP their debt is actually better than the USA.

Government debt across the entire 27-nation EU totaled 85.1 percent at the end of September, compared with 85 percent in June, according to Eurostat. The European debt levels compare to about 110 percent in the United States, 88 percent in Canada, or 240 percent in Japan, according to IMF data.

Spain’s unemployment currently stands around 26 percent. This is not sustainable. There’s more to this than austerity and sound bites therein. The key to success will be an economic recovery.

Sometimes it’s just common sense, I mean I’m a libertarian and I think austerity is the wrong solution for the current problem. Once the economy has recovered more, then it’d make sense, but right now? Austerity is like bleeding a patient after a stab wound.

Your economy is stagnant because money isn’t flowing on a large scale. Do you:

There’s more to this than austerity and sound bites therein.
yes, especially seeing there’s no mention of the effects of something FROM THE SAME SENTENCEas meager growth offset efforts by several of the bloc’s 17 nations to improve their finances by cutting spending and raising taxes,

I have 50 years of US tax history that completely disprove this. Look at the period conservatives long for. The 50s. What was the tax rate then? What was our economic growth?
Yeah.
;)

Using the 50s as an analogue is tricky- the top tax rate was high but environmental regulation was pretty much nil. The right likes to point to that, even though Americans, and many others, are still paying for it.

Using the 50s as an analogue is tricky- the top tax rate was high but environmental regulation was pretty much nil. The right likes to point to that, even though Americans, and many others, are still paying for it.

Also, the work force and economy were still transitioning from the wartime production of the mid to late 40’s to the (more) private sector enterprises needed to accommodate the increase in birth rates (see; Baby Boomers)

((i.e..,,, the burgeoning suburbs,,the ease of home ownership through the Veterans Administration and Federal Housing Administration mortgages. More people were beginning families, and having a family meant moving from a one bedroom apartment to owning a house)) All those things created jobs due to demands for goods and services

Using the 50s as an analogue is tricky- the top tax rate was high but environmental regulation was pretty much nil. The right likes to point to that, even though Americans, and many others, are still paying for it.

They might have some sort of point there. I suppose it’s a lot easier to pay taxes if you can loot the commons for person gain. You’re really just kicking some of your own ill-gotten gains back into the system that allows your bad behavior, rather than honestly earned money, so it probably feels different.

Now they have to pay taxes to a government that wont let them set rivers on fire, and that’s tyranny.